Energizers
and Ice Breakers

4 Jacks / Small Group - Card Game / Energizer

This card game is a huge success
with all age groups. Deal out the deck of cards to each
of the players in your group. Keep the cards face
down. Each player will turn over one card at a time and
place them in a pile in front of them. The player
turning over the First Jack gives a number from 3
to 5. The Second Jack will give a location in
the area (under the table, in the corner, in the shower,
etc.) The Third Jack gives the direction of what
is to be done (jumping jacks, stand on a chair and cluck
like a chicken, shout-out “The British are coming, the
British are coming!” The player turning over the
Forth Jack has to go do all the above. It might be
10 push-ups while singing the Barney song under the
conference table. This can be very silly, but so much
fun.

10 Boom / Getting
to Know You Activity / Posted 1-7-2010Make a
circle of players and select a player to start the
activity. During this activity a player may say 1 or 2
numbers when it is their turn. The selected leader
might say “1, 2.” The next player can say 3 or 3, 4.
This process continues around the circle until it gets
to the 10 player. After a player says, “9,” everyone
says “Boom!” This let the next player know they where #
10. When a player is number 10, they need to share
something about themselves with the group. After
sharing, this player begins the count at 1 again.
Change the “go to” number from time to time. The leader
might say, “We are counting to 21 this time.” Another
way to do this activity is to have the 10 Boom player
pay a forfeit of some kind. They might have to sing a
song, or say a poem or a joke or maybe even have to do
10 jumping jacks. Let the group decide how they want to
play this easy game.

An Item I’m Like Posted 2-3-2010

Have the group scatter
around the area and ask them to find an item they are
like. After a moment or so, bring them back and ask
them to mingle around and tell others why they are like
the item they selected. Encourage the participants to
think positive during this disclosing activity. I might
look around and find a pencil. I pick it up and mingle
around telling others why I’m like this pencil. After
telling the other player about the item you have, listen
to them and let them explain why they are like the item
they found. After a few minutes of exchanging info, ask
the group to stop and replace the items where they found
them and return to the leader for more fun and games or
more instructions.

A to Z Intro / Posted 5-2-10

This is a tremendous
mixer that is non-threatening and fun! The object of
this introductory game is to see how many letters of the
alphabet you can find using the letters of other
player’s names. Each player will start looking for an
“A.” Players mill around asking other players if they
have an “A” in their first, middle, or last names. If a
player says, “Yes I do – my name is Michael so you can
use the “A” in Michael.” The player is now looking for
a “B.” All participants mill around the room looking
for these letters by asking others if they have the
letter they are looking for. If they do have that
letter, then they move to a new person trying to find
the next letter in the alphabet. This continues until
someone reaches the letter “z,” or time is called.
Allow all the players to skip 2 letters of the alphabet
if needed. If a player gets stuck and can’t find a
certain letter, they can pass it up and move on to the
next letter. More letters can be found if you allow the
players to use their parent’s names, sibling’s names,
grandparent’s names or even pet names.

Band of Birds /
Posted
11-12-10

Divide into groups of
three, each picking a different bird sound such as
"coo-coo," "tweet-tweet," or "chirp-chirp." One
person conducts the band to the tune of a common song
such as "Mary had a little lamb." As the conductor
points to a group, they chirp or tweet to the tune in
progress. It sounds crazy and young kids love it.
Singing and conducting are equally fun.

When I was a young boy, my
best friend’s mother taught me this and told me it was
the Chinese alphabet. Of course, I believed her and for
years I thought I was so smart. As I grew older and had
the opportunity to study the Chinese language, I soon
realized that my early lesson in Chinese was just a
“just for fun” kind of thing. Anyway, I found a way to
use it during my many workshops around the world. I ask
the group to say it with me several times. I then ask
them to say it and do as I do. This is where the
facilitator can get very creative with his/her actions.
I usually use motions like bowing, playing ping pong,
taking tiny steps, Karate type movements, etc. This
will make the group laugh, giggle and using the actions
will help them retain this neat little activity.

Celebration Circle / Ice Breaker / Introductory Posted 3-2-2010
Equipment: None
Make a big circle and make sure all the players meet
their neighbors. The leader of the session will call
the months of the year either individually or in
groups. If your birth month is called, start walking,
skipping, jammin’ around the inside of the circle
showing and telling everyone how special your birth
month is. The leader could call, “July, April and
March, Go!” Everyone with birthdays in that month
should come into the circle and proclaim their special
month. Make sure all the months are called.

Do and Don’t Dots
/ Posted
5-2-10

Have your students
get in a small group of 5 to 8 and give each group 1
die. Each player will roll the die in turn. If a
player rolls an even number they will tell the group
about themselves starting each sentence with, “I do
____________.” If a 4 was rolled, they need to tell the
group 4 things. Example: I do like to travel, I do want
to go to the movies this week end, I do homework every
night, and I do have a dog named Jake. If a player
rolls an odd number they must start each statement with,
“I don’t ____________.” Let’s say they roll a 1. This
player might say, “I don’t like cold weather” and pass
the die to the next player. Play as long as there is
interest and then move on.

Eek! / Posted 11-12-10

Send one unsuspecting
individual out of the room. The rest of the group
picks out one object in the room. Tell them that
when "it" touches that object, they are to make the
loudest, most horrible sound they can make. Kids
love to make their worst screeches and to see the look
of astonishment on the hunter's face!

Goddag
(Good Day!) / Energizer / Ice Breaker / Sweden

I
was taught this unique game from Sweden way back in the
late 70s from a group of touring PE teachers. It
is an outstanding way for group members to introduce
themselves in a non-threatening and creative way. Begin
by having participants spread out in an open area.
Next, select a way to break this larger group into 2
smaller equal groups. Instruct one of these groups to
extend their right hand out in front of their bodies in
a normal handshake position and put their left hand
behind their backs. Ask the other group's members to do
the reverse: to extend their left hands extend their
left hands out in front of their bodies in a handshake
position and place their right hands behind their
backs. Explain to the two groups that on the signal
"Go," everyone is to mill around the room looking for
another person that has the correct hand extended to
complete a complimentary handshake (right hand to right
hand/left hand to left hand). Upon meeting, they shake
hands with the other person and say, "Goddag!" (Swedish
for "Good day") and give their names. After shaking
hands and exchanging their "Goddag" greetings, they
switch hands so that the hand that was extended now goes
behind their backs and the hand that was behind their
back is now extended out in a handshake position. Each
participant searches for another person who has the same
hand extended and repeats the greeting. This continues
for a short time or until everyone has had ample time to
greet all the others in the room.

Good
News Greeting / Energizer / Posted
4-24-2010

Have
your group mingle with each other as they share some
good news. Have them shake hands and then each person
share a bit of good news with the other player. I’d
like to share that I am a Great Grandpa as of 12-19-08.
His name is Shaun Thomas. What’s your good news?

High
Roller - High Writer or "6" / Dice Game /
Spiller Original

This is an exciting little game that will turn a quite
classroom into a hall of noise and laughter. Divide
your group in smaller groups of 4 to 6 players each.
Give each group one die, one pencil, and an index card
for each player. Place the pencil in the center of the
group and give the die to a selected player to start the
game. Rolling of the die should be in order around the
circle. Nothing happens in this game until a six is
rolled. The player that rolls a six must yell "SIX,"
pick up the pencil and start to write numbers from 1 to
as high as he can get before another player rolls a six,
yells "SIX," and takes the pencil away from the player
writing and starts to write his own numbers. The first
player to write to 50 is the winner. All rolls should
be quick to stop the person from getting to 50. A
question asked frequently at workshops is: Do we have to
start over, from 0, the next time we roll a six? The
answer is NO. Continue to write your numbers from where
you were when the pencil was taken from you. This games
gets loud and the players get very excited, but remind
them that the pencil has a point and to be careful when
taking it from another player.

High-Shake-Down /
Posted 4-1-10

This is
an interesting low risk group-mingler that helps
participants connect with one another while having fun! Begin
by sharing that all participants will be welcoming each
other using a repeating series of three different
physical and verbal greetings. The
first physical greeting of the cycle used is the classic
“High 5,” the second, a regular handshake, and the third
a “Low 5” (hand below waist with palm forward). Explain
that all physical greeting will be accompanied by a
verbal greeting. When
“High 5-ing,” participants will greet the person with a
“Hi!” When
shaking hands, participants say: “What’s Shakin,” and
when “Low 5ing,” participants say: “wazzz goin’ dooooown!” Start
by having all participants in the “High 5” position and
then remind them that the greetings are done in a cycle
(High 5, hand shake, Low 5, High 5, Hand shake, Low 5,
etc.) and that the greeting position must be held until
finding another participant with the same physical
greeting before cycling to the next greeting. Look
for smiles and laughter to accompany this creative way
to have participants introduce themselves to others!

Initial Contact /

Spiller Original

Twenty years ago, I was tired of all the same old Ice
breakers so I came up with this one. It works well
and is an opens the door to quick conversations.
In this pair and share introductory activity,
participants will be disclosing 2 things about
themselves that they would be comfortable sharing with
others. The stipulation is that the
2 things they are going to share must start with the
first letter of both their first and last
name - example used in training: “Hi, I’m Mike Spiller
and I like Mountain Hiking and Swimming!"
After
explaining the above, pair up all participants (one
group of 3 is fine to start with if your
group has an odd number) and ask them to share their
information with each other. Upon
completion, instruct pairs to separate, raise their hand
in a high 5 position and find another
participant with their hand raised. Slap hands with the
new partner and say “Hi” and once
again share information with them. Participants will
continue this mingling and sharing for a
set amount of time or until all have had a chance to
pair and share.

Labado / Spiller Original

About 20 years ago I discovered
this Action - Song and Movement activity and have used
it many times with great success.
This is a wonderful way to have your group come together
with a simple song and a variety
of tactile actions. Begin by selecting a leader that
will stand in the center of the circle and
give the group commands.
The remaining participants form a large circle by
standing hip to
hip with their arms around each others' shoulders. Once
this has been completed, teach
the group the "Labado Song." The tune is sung to "Mary
had a little lamb."
We can do the Labado, Labado, Labado,
We can do the Labado, Labado is Great,
HEY!!!
As the song is being sung, have all the participants
shuffle to either the right or left
(whichever way the leader in the center of the circle
directs). When they reach the part of
the song where they are to shout, have participants drop
their arms from the other
persons' shoulders, take a step forward with a raised
hand and shout out, "Hey, We Don't
Do Drugs!" This dance should be done again and again,
each time changing direction, singing
the song in a different cadence, and placing
participants' hands on different parts of their
neighbors' bodies (keep it "G" rated, please). For
example: sing in slow motion, moving to
the right, with the right hand on the neighbors foot and
left hand on the top of the other
neighbors' head. Have the group watch each other during
the dance for a good laugh!
Variation:
The three-syllable word "Labado" can be changed to any
word or phrase that fits or is
associated with your organization or activity.

M&M Ice Breaker /
Getting to Know You Activity / Posted 6-20-2011

Cut open the corner
of a bag of M&Ms and pour-out 3 to 5 M&Ms to each player. The players will then
tell the others about themselves according to the colors they have been given.
If you have a Red M&M = tell about your family. If you have a Green M&M = tell
about your school. If you have a Blue M&M = tell something personal about
yourself. Use the other colors and select other things to talk about. Have a
snack and learn about each other at the same time.

My Biggest
Fan

Building a fan
base is easy in this high energy competitive game! This
game puts a creative twist on the
classic “rock, paper, scissors” game we all know and
love. To begin have all participants
partner up and explain the rules of “rock, paper, and
scissors.” To ensure

understanding,
have partners compete against each other a few times
prior to beginning the contest. Once
everyone demonstrates an understanding of the rules and
who wins, it’s now time to crown the
“rock, paper, scissor” champion. Explain that the winner
of each challenge moves on and
partners with another winner; however, (and now for the
twist . . .) instead of the loser sitting
down, s/he becomes the winners biggest fan and cheers
them on in their next “rock,
paper, scissor” challenge. This continues with the
winner of the challenge gaining all
people (including the loser) who now become the winner’s
biggest fans and cheer them on in the
next challenge. This culminates with 2 people
challenging each other for the crown and all
other participants cheering for their representative in
the final round. This is a quick, loud
energizer that is one of my favorites and is sure to
rock with all your participants!!!

This is one of those games that
will test the self-control of individual campers or
students. Divide your group in half. One group will
scatter out around the gym and stand in place with a
straight face. His/her objective is to NOT laugh or
smile when being tested. The other half of the group
will scatter and select a standing player to challenge.
This player will ask the standing player a silly
question – trying to get that player to smile or laugh.
The standing player must answer with a straight face,
“Sponge Bob Square Pants” without the slightest curl of
the lip or laugh. This is a no-contact activity so
remind the players of this. If a player laughs or
smiles, he/she will now become one to question others as
well. Several players can and will be around one of the
standing players trying to make them laugh. Play until
you have just a few self-controlled people standing.
Ask them to share what their secret was during this
event. Switch rolls and let the other ½ stand in place
while being questioned.

Variation: Allow players to do
whatever they will to make a player laugh or smile.
They can make faces or do silly stuff, but remind them –
No Touching allowed.

The Tibetan Memory Trick / Posted 1-21-2010

Your goal is to remember and repeat aloud as much of
the tricky sentence as possible. Keep a copy of this to
go by and for all to use. This activity usually last
about 5 minutes at most. How to play: One person is
chosen to be the reader and another player volunteers to
go first. The reader recites sentence one and the
player repeats it. Easy enough. Then the reader reads
sentence two, which adds something to sentence one.
Still easy. Most players, however, find that it gets
difficult by about sentence five or six. The slightest
slip-up or pause and the player is replaced by another,
who begins with sentence one. Play as many rounds as
you like, keeping track of how far each player gets each
time around the room. The player who gets the farthest
wins. It takes years of play before most people tire of
this game. Here are the sentences:

1One hen.

2 One hen, two ducks.

3One hen, two ducks, three squawking geese.

4One hen, two ducks, three squawking geese, four
Limerick oysters.

5… five corpulent porpoises

6… six pairs of Revlon tweezers

7… 7,000 Macedonians in full battle array.

8… eight brass monkeys from the ancient sacred
crypts of Egypt.

9… nine apathetic sympathetic diabetic old men on
roller skates with a marked propensity toward
procrastination and sloth.

10…10 lyrical spherical diabolical denizens of the
deep who stalk about the corners of the cove all at the
same time.

Have your group make a big circle
and have them introduce themselves to their neighbors.
The leader stands in the middle with a list to read
from. Each statement starts with an IF… For example –
if you are in the 5th grade, if you have a
brother, if you love baseball, if you have ever been off
the high board, if you have been to the top of the
Empire State building, etc. The players in the circle
listen and if the statement pertains to them, they take
a couple of steps into the circle, turn around and wave
to the others in the circle. The players in the circle
will applaud the ones in the circle. The leader will
continue the activity for about a minute and then asks
something that will bring them all into the circle.
He/she might ask, if you love being out of school! This
usually will bring all the campers into the middle of
the circle where they applaud each other while they
scream and shout!

What Time Is It? / Mental Magic
Posted 1-23-2010

Gather some friend
around for this great little mind trick. The Psychic /
Magician will have one of the players in the group as a
confederate (helper) and this player will direct the
magical moment for the group. Send the psychic from the
room while the rest of the group decides on an hour of
the day. When the psychic comes back into the room, he
listens to his partner / confederate’s remark and is
able to guess the correct hour that the group chose.

If four o’clock were the
chosen hour, the helper might say to his psychic
confederate, “Don’t worry, you’ll get it.” The
guesser would know from the first letter in the first
word that he should guess four o’clock, because this is
the 4th letter in the alphabet.